At Tuscan Kitchen in Salem, N.H., a recent expansion had owner Joe Faro looking for a new chef. His specific requirement: a passion for artisanal Italian cuisine. Anne and the Chef Wanted team were called in to help. Anne found four candidates, and after some grueling tests, an offer was extended to Chef Anthony De Palma.

Chef DePalma is a veteran when it comes to running a restaurant. He owned his own highly successful restaurant in West Palm Beach, Fla., but lost it after the economy collapsed in 2008. This job interview was the perfect opportunity to turn his luck around. He impressed Anne and Joe with his incredible skills of making pasta, sauce and cheese all from scratch. He breezed through all the challenges until it came to dinner, when a few problems in the kitchen delayed service. But in the end, Chef De Palma won the admiration of Joe and his family and was offered the position of executive chef.

Owner Joe Faro is pleased to have Chef De Palma on board: “He is passionate about the concept, the food and the people. He fits in well.”

FN Dish caught up with Chef De Palma on his first day on the job. Watch the video above to find out what the experience has meant for him, the challenges that lie ahead and all that he’s looking forward to as the new executive chef of Tuscan Kitchen.

whats up with wild hair in kitchen what about board of health codes , where is her common sense , i can see it now a long blond hair in with my dish yuk ,,,,how about chef hats hair nets , what else are they doing wrong if they cant get that right

Great show! I do agree Anne's screaming is a bit much. The service on the show for the 2 finalists reminded me of opening night. What really sticks in my mind is when I asked to substitute risotto and the server came back and said "no"! Their quality of food wasn't that great either on that night and I ve never been back. People rave about their pasta. I'm just not one of those people who go crazy over pasta. I just want a quality steak and the quality just wasn't there the night I went there. Congrats Chef Anthony! Please let them know a $42.00 steak demands high quality. No shortcuts.

First time I ever saw this show and I loved it. When I see how intense it is in the kitchen of these restaurants I'm amazed how they pull it off night after night. What a hard and under appreciated job. I will definitely tip well next time I go out to dinner.

Really Janina? Slop? Compared to what, cheap slop that you must be accustomed to or your sloppy attempt at trying to be a food and restaurant critic? A true food critic reviews eloquently and judges professionally the merits of a chef and his food, the restaurateur and the establishment. Here is some valuable (and free) advice, "learn some etiquette and then come back to the table with your review."

Really Patrick? Slop? Last time I checked, America was a free country. Janina can choose to criticize and you can choose to shut up or not read the critics.
Thank you Janina. I'm glad you went and were able to tell us about your experience so they rest of us can spend our money elsewhere. If I would have spent that much money on a dinner and it came out the way you described, I would have identified it as slop too. When a restaurant wants to charge high prices for food, then they should expect high standards. Janina doesn't need your free advice. Sounds like she can afford to pay you to shut up!

I am very happy for Chef Anthony. I wish the best. I am sure he does not cook every item so stop complaining. The person that complained after visiting the restaurant 2 weeks later You probably would not be happy with what ever you got. Give him a chance. I hope he does well. As for Anne she is who she is.

Congratulations and my very best wishes for even greater success to Chef Anthony De Palma! You made your fans back here in West Palm Beach proud and you deserve this new endeavor. It was inspiring to many of us who are in the creative world seeking that one break to allow us to continue our passionate quests to do what brings us joy and never giving up. There will always be those clueless critics who have no understanding of what passion is (or joy) there is in this type of industry. They do not comprehend the difference between blatantly ugly remarks or constructive criticisms, which the latter is what most artisans welcome and share with one another.

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